Wellington

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We had two days to explore Wellington and almost every second of it was spend in the Te Papa Museum. It was free (and amazing!) and therefore much more appealing than almost anything else the city could have offered. (If you couldn’t tell I’m getting scarily close to rock bottom of my budget and I’m cutting corners wherever I can.) Free museums all the way!

The Te Papa Museum is very interactive and wonderful for children or anybody with a childlike amusement of life, for that matter. The sections devoted to geological and biological history were so much fun that I wished I could bring a class of 5th graders around with me! I was awestruck by the enormous Blue Whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling and thrilled to climb into the life-size model of it's heart! And I’ve always had a strange fascination of giant squids so reading about and getting to see the biggest one ever discovered alive was awesome.

Other exhibits celebrated more recent social history and I’m a junky for civil rights activists so that was really cool too. I read all up on the New Zealand feminist and gay rights movements and compared them to what I know about their corresponding US social movements.

The museum also had an art exhibit portion. Art ranging from interactive conceptual pieces, to abstract sculptures, to historic Maori treasures, to old oil paintings of European landscapes flooded the fourth floor. And the people slowly perusing the collection were as diverse as the art they were admiring. I smiled when I noticed a man barefoot and with dreadlocks down to his waist, carefully studying the dignified portraits of old influential European men.

We also enjoyed Wellington's harbor and window shopped along the shopping district. Most of the time we tried to stay indoors because the weather was blustery and rainy. That was fine though, because too much sunshine gives you an unrealistic perspective on life and rain can facilitate a more contemplative mood which is nice too when traveling. I also feel like it’s very appropriate to have to wear wellies in Wellington. But it’s in England where they call rain boots wellies. Here in New Zealand they call them gum boots. So maybe they should consider renaming the city Gumington!

The rain didn’t stop us from enjoying some street art too and we were super excited to find a wall decoratively inscribed with the phrase “Learn your Herstory” with a portrait of Freda Kahlo and Pippi Longstockings on either side.

I also discovered that in Wellington many of the city buses run on electric cables and are therefore more environmentally friendly. Over the streets is a network of cables that look like something concocted by a geometrically obsessed Spider Man. They allow the busses to zip along from street to street while connected to and powered by the wires above. So Wellington is educational, wet, artsy, socially conscious, and green!

Our hostel dorm room was right on the first floor and my top bunk looked right out the window onto a busy street corner. It was like actually sleeping right in the heart of the city. With the dark curtains open just a smidge I could watch people walking by and hear the crosswalk tick as the lights changed color. The streetlights glistened on the wet pavement almost like Christmas lights. Being a Monday night, the city nightlife wasn’t too crazy and the sounds and noises from outside were mellow enough to comfortably fall asleep to.

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